More than 20 vehicles and 55 firefighters from Epping and Craigieburn brigades and MFB responded to a large mulch fire at a green waste facility on Cooper Street, Epping on Sunday 4 November.
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Epping Pumper, supporting Teleboom 7, as it knocks out the mulch fire.
Upon arrival, the brigades were faced with a large mulch pile on fire approximately 100m long, eight metres high and 35m wide.
The pile was producing large volumes of smoke in the vicinity of the fire.
Incident Controller Captain Robert Saitta relied on the brigades' previous experience with this facility and enacted its pre-plan.
Numerous CFA tankers were called in the initial stages to attack the fire in an effort to reduce the smoke in the surrounding area.
Due to the lack of water in the facility, the Scoresby Hose Layer was used to place 1.6 kilometres of hose-line from Cooper Street into the facility (see video below).
Once an appropriate water supply was secured, the brigades, together with MFB, used a teleboom and on-site plant to begin to break up the mulch pile.
CFA tankers were also used to support the Teleboom and other firefighting operations.
The fire fight lasted eight hours with numerous specialist resources supporting brigades including Nillumbik FOV, Mernda Rehab and the Hose Layer. Other agencies including the EPA, SES and Salvation Army supported operations.
With multiple agencies in attendance it demonstrated the interoperability of Victoria's Emergency Services and how all agencies can work effectively together.
Photos courtesy Epping Fire Brigade
Author: Liam Gallagher